Although a monumental announcement is expected and hyped by virtue of the unprecedented move to hold a media event in China to launch a new iPhone, there are other aspects of the new device unveiling that could warrant an event of its own.

If, for example, a China Mobile deal isn't announced, the next most likely reason Apple is coming to China is to announce that the iPhone 5S and/or iPhone 5C will launch in China at the same time it hits other markets. In previous years, China has only debuted refreshed iPhones months after they've reached consumers elsewhere.

"In the past, Chinese consumers, some of Apple’s most rabid fans, have had to wait for months after the official launch for the phone to come out in the country, leading some to travel elsewhere to purchase phones and bring them back to the country to sell at a premium without the aftersales services one gets from a legitimate Apple purchase," a new WSJ blog entry reads.